This disclosure relates to a system and method for monitoring a power line without connecting to ground.
In earlier times the measurement of low level currents on ground conductors, signal cables, and other physical structures has been used as diagnostic tools for power quality analysis. Ground currents are measured in order to detect an unwanted connection between system conductors or with ground. Ground currents can be evidence of a damaged power system, such as when a tree falls on a power line. Undetected ground faults can cause problems with different production and/or industrial processes. Thus, unnoticed ground faults can damage or even shutdown equipment, affecting productivity. Additionally, ground faults can result in dangerous voltage that poses potential health and safety risks such as fire or electric shock.
Over time, monitoring systems for ground and phase currents have evolved. One system presently known in the art monitors ground and phase currents, and is capable of calculating voltage and phase currents on each individual power lines and at the same time is also capable of doing calculations that look at all the lines together. However, such method requires a ground connection to get accurate calculations.
As such it would be useful to have an improved system and method for monitoring power lines using phase-to-phase monitoring.